Cookware

[Tuco]

Picking up first cookware and interested in any recommendation you may have re:
pot (size necesary)vs mug, titanium vs other material and brands. For one person cooking- thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[jfb]

For three-season cooking, I use the one-liter Primus Litech pot made of anodized aluminum. I'm looking for something larger for winter use, probably a MSR blacklite 2-liter pot. For a mug, I use a plastic double-wall cup with lid that holds 12 oz. and weighs 3 oz.

 

[jbrown]

On all hikes before this year, my cookset was some variation on the cheapo aluminum cookset that costs 3 bucks at campmor. Utensils usually consisted of whatever I snatched out of the silverware drawer just before I left or a spork from Taco Bell. Mug was any travel mug I could find.

This year, my wife bought me the MSR Titan titanium kettle and I got myself the Snow Peak titanium spork, I can't wait to use them!

 

[poison ivy]

I use a .9 liter Evernew titanium pot. It is perfect for solo trips. Titanium is nice because it weighs less than other pots, but you'll end up paying for it because it's a lot more expensive too.

- Ivy

 

[percious]

I have the snow peak titanium 3 pot set. It is really great. When I am solo i bring just the smaller "pot" and when I am not, i bring everything only 7 oz! Titanium is a tad expensive, but it is always worth it because it lasts forever. I like being able to take a steel wool to my pots when I get home. The set goes for 35 bux at REI.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Pro...=8000&partNumber=660003&memberId=-2000&link=1

 

[RichW]

Soda Can stoves?

On a similar note, does anyone use the home made soda can stoves with alcohol? I am impressed with their light weight and simplicity, but have never seen one being used.

 

[jbrown]

I have used a couple of different designs of the alcohol stoves with relatively good results from most. (I always experiment at home before taking them on trips...)

The best one I made was from an Arizona iced tea can (larger diameter than soda can) using the "Fuzzy's Li'l Stove" design from www.backpacking.net. I made the whole thing shorter than the plans called for, which made for a more stable base.

I'm going to be using a solid fuel stove this year made with plans from www.thru-hiker.com, I made this one with perforated aluminum instead of titanium. The best part is it was free. I have boiled 3 cups of water in about 7-8 minutes with it.

I could go on for a while here...but I'll stop there.

 

[KayakDan]

I went all titanium for winter camping. Cookware,cups,sporks. Every little bit helps in a winter pack,and there's not many places to lighten a winter pack without compromising safety. I use a couple of different Primus propane/butane stoves year round. The stainless cookwear goes kayak camping-but remember to put it in the rear compartment-away from that compass!
Those little plastic bowls you get with a Wendy's salad are really light,durable ,and happen to fit perfectly in most MSR cookwear sets.

 

[MichaelJ]

I have the same as Ivy - the 0.9L Evernew titanium pot. For my solo trips, this is perfect. It's extremely light, and just the right size to put my MSR Superfly stove inside. Be careful about the rubber sheath on the handle ... it can slide up against the pot body and if the stove is set high, melt.

For group trips or winter camping, I have what I think is a coated aluminum pot, 2L. The extra capacity is convenient when boiling drinking water. And it holds my Dragonfly stove, too.

I have a titanium mug but almost never use it. In the winter, I prefer my old-style double-walled plastic Dunkin Donuts travel mug, because it keeps my cocoa or oatmeal warm. The titanium mug chills too quickly. In the summer, I just drink directly from a Nalgene.

Plastic flatware is far cheaper than titanium and being so light to begin with you'll never notice the weight difference.

 

[jbrown]

Plastic flatware is far cheaper than titanium and being so light to begin with you'll never notice the weight difference.

I totally agree with this statement. I have used plastic disposable stuff for a couple of years, however, using the titanium spork will help a little to keep some extra plastic utensils out of the landfills, and it's really cool...

 

[nazdarovye]

I use a 900 ml titanium pot sometimes, a 450 ml titanium cup other times, to boil water for cooking. Usually I pour the water into a ziplock or manufacturer's packaging, then put that into a pot cozy so it can "simmer." Saves lots of fuel, and no clean-up. On short trips, the 450 ml cup is totally adequate and super-light.

(All of the above is either with an alcohol stove or a small canister stove, and in all but harsh winter conditions where temperatures are low and/or I'll need to melt snow, in which case I switch to an MSR Whisperlite and 2 L pot.)

 

[Rick]

I would almost Guarantee it is cheaper and lighter then all others - Walmart Greasepot (~ $9.00) coupled with a pepsi can stove. Total weight is around 4 ozs not including fuel.

This is not my winter setup, but it works for everything else.

I did an AMC workshop (DVC) last month on how to build pepsi can stoves and I think a lot of folks were really sold on it. I don;t use anything else now. I have created a little grill from 1/4 mesh that fits into the bottom of an upside down pepsi can stove. I carrry a couple of esbits in the event I run outta alcohol.

 

[percious]

im selling some of those alcohol stoves on ebay for those of you who don't want the hassle of making them yourselves. Anyone here who wants them can PM me, and I will be happy to cut you a deal.

 

[bobmak]

I am out of the high tech loop on cookware...... I use a 3 liter aluminum sauce pot for all 4 seasons. It sold for about $4.00 at the local hardware store here in town; I removed the handle (fastened to the pot by a screw) and painted the bottom black. It's lasted for about 8 years so far. No idea what the weight is but it isn't much. It's been dented a few times but the dents can easily be banged out. 3 liters seems big but when it's in my pack I use it as a crush proof container to keep things from getting smashed (like bread or maybe the cookies & brownies I like to bring for desert ). Add a lexan spoon and an insulated commuter mug and I am all ready for dinner. For a stove I use a canister stove in the summer and an XGK stove in the winter. I also have an alchohol stove but the only time I use it is when I am bicycle touring; alchohol is the easiest fuel to come by when you are on the road. My opinion: Alchohol stoves are great for boiling water but not so great for actual cooking. In the winter I do freeze dried & instant soups but in the summer when the days are long I'd rather be a little creative with my cooking. Canister stoves allow me to go from a simmer to high heat. I am not an ultralight backpacker; I like my comforts. I usually bring a book or two, a camera, a thermarest, maybe cards & a cribbage board if I have a companion. For a 3 day summer trip I take a 3000 c.i. pack and weigh in at about 30 pounds.

 

[Stan]

We generally carry two isobutane stoves, whatever lightweight pot we dare risk losing or damaging from our modest kitchen collection and ... an iron pan.

Yep, for all the high tech gear we carry an iron pan (8" or 10" depending upon how many in our party), a cooking luxury we will not be denied. An iron pan is 1) as good as a third stove (albeit heavier) in that it'll keep prepared foods warmer longer, 2) cooks better and more evenly in my opinion, 3) and, properly 'seasoned', is no more a hassle to keep clean than the finest and newest teflon.

It also comes in handy for swatting black flies although the noise, somewhat like a golf ball bouncing off the pan, can be annoying and care must be taken if you swat anything while it is perched on your camping partner's head.

Otherwise, we're minimalists ... except for the wine.

 

[Tuco]

Thanks folks-Lots of good ideas. I had been leaning towards the Evernew .9 liter and decided to go with it.